Improvement in screw-drivers



R. s. GLADDING. $oreW-Driver No. 204,812. Patented June 11, 1878.

INVENTOR- WITNESSES NmETensf FHOTb-L IT HOGAPH an, WASHINGTON. n. c. 7 I7 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIGE.

RICHARD S. GLADDING, OF BRISTQL, RHODE ISLAND.

IMPROVEMENT IN SCREW-DRIVERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 204,812, dated June 11,1878; application filed November 7, 1877.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD S. G-LADDING, of Bristol, in the county ofBristol and State ofRhode Island, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Screw-Drivers; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, and to theletters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of thisspecification.

This invention has reference to improvements in screw-drivers; andconsists in the arrangement, with the shank of a screw-driver, of ahollow handle, in which a number of interchangeable screw-driver pointsare con-.

tained, and a stock arranged to receive and retain the driver-points, aswill be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a view of my improved screwdriver, the shank being shownwith the central portion broken away and the handle partly in section.Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the stock provided with a spring to retainthe driverpoint which is inserted in the stock. Figs. 3 and 4 are viewsof the driver-points, which differ only in the width and thickness ofthe point which enters the slot of the screw.

In the drawing, or represents the usual shank of a screw-driver. b isthe hollow handle' arranged to hold a number of the driverpoints g, sothat the same screwdriver may 1 be used for a large variety of screws,and also so that, when in use one of the points has been injured,another can be readily substituted without loss of time.

The handle is closed by a cap or similar device, c. d is the usualferrule, provided with a slot, into which the shank a enters, so as toprevent its turning in the handle. 6 is the stock formed on the end ofthe shank en, arranged to receive the driver-points g g. f is a convexspring, arranged to enter a concave recess, f, in the driver-points, soas to firmly hold them in the stock by friction, the whole forming aconvenient tool, having the usual long shank or blade and a number ofinterchangeable points. It is therefore adapted for all kinds of screws,and one tool answers the purpose of three, four, or more, as heretoforemade, For private use or for Jobbing-work it is very useful, and can besold for less than the number of screw-drivers required to answer thesame purpose.

In an efficient screw driver the shank or blade 0. is required to be ofsome'considera-ble length, so that a screw may be reached not otherwiseaccessible, and also so that both hands may be used to start the screw.

In tool-handles where the shank of the tool must be rigidly held for thepurpose of withdrawing the tool from the work by means of the handle, itis necessary to hold the tool by more than frictional bearings. Inscrew-drivers it is necessary sometimes to remove the bit or point 9 toinsert another one very speedily, when a simple pull will effect theresult hence I have used a convex spring to fit into a correspondingconcave slot in the shank of the blade or point 9. f

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent The combination, with the shank or blade a, of thehollow handle b, arranged to contain the points g g of the stock 6,provided with the convex sprin g f, and the points g, provided with theconcave recess f, arranged substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have affixed my signature inpresence of two witnesses.

R. S. GLADDING.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH A. MILLER, JOSEPH A. MILLER, Jr.

